Sunday morning November 29

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lipsand our mouth will proclaim your praise.Reveal among us the light of your presencethat we may behold your power and glory.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God of all,to you be praise and glory forever.In your tender compassionthe dawn from on high is breaking upon usto dispel the lingering shadows of night.As we look for your coming among us this day,open our eyes to behold your presenceand strengthen our hands to do your will,that the world may rejoice and give you praise.Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

Hymn

Light of Those Whose Dreary Dwelling

Charles Wesley

Light of those whose dreary dwellingBorders on the shades of death,Come, and by thy love's revealingDissipate the clouds beneath.

The new heaven and earth's Creator,In our deepest darkness rise,Scattering all the night of nature,Pouring eyesight on our eyes.

Still we wait for thine appearing;Life and joy thy beams impart,Chasing all our fears, and cheeringEvery poor benighted heart.

Confession of sin

Seek the Lord when he can still be found;call him while he is yet near.Let the wicked abandon their waysand the sinful their schemes.Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.

cf Isaiah 55

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Lord God,we have sinned against you;we have committed evil in your sight.We are sorry and repent.Have mercy on us according to your faithful love.Wash us completely clean of our guilt; purify us from our sin.Put a new, faithful spirit deep inside us,and return the joy of your salvation to usthrough Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

cf Psalm 51

May the Father of all merciescleanse us from our sins,and restore us in his imageto the praise and glory of his name,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

Bless the Lord,because he has listened to our request for mercy.Therefore our hearts will rejoiceand we will thank him with our song.

cf Psalm 28:7,9

The Word of God

Psalm 44

Refrain:We glory in God at all times, and give thanks to his name forever.

We have heard it, God, with our own ears; our ancestors told us about it: about the deeds you did in their days, in days long past.You, by your own hand, removed all the nations, but you planted our ancestors. You crushed all the peoples, but you set our ancestors free.No, not by their own swords did they take possession of the land— their own arms didn’t save them. No, it was your strong hand, your arm, and the light of your face because you were pleased with them.It’s you, God! You who are my king, the one who orders salvation for Jacob.We’ve pushed our foes away by your help; we’ve trampled our enemies by your name.No, I won’t trust in my bow; my sword won’t save me because it’s you who saved us from our foes, you who put those who hate us to shame.So we glory in God at all times and give thanks to your name forever. But now you’ve rejected and humiliated us. You no longer accompany our armies.You make us retreat from the enemy; our adversaries plunder us.You’ve handed us over like sheep for butchering; you’ve scattered us among the nations.You’ve sold your people for nothing, not even bothering to set a decent price.You’ve made us a joke to all our neighbors; we’re mocked and ridiculed by everyone around us.You’ve made us a bad joke to the nations, something to be laughed at by all peoples.All day long my disgrace confronts me, and shame covers my face because of the voices of those who make fun of me and bad-mouth me, because of the enemy who is out for revenge.All this has come upon us, but we haven’t forgotten you or broken your covenant.Our hearts haven’t turned away, neither have our steps strayed from your way.But you’ve crushed us in the place where jackals live, covering us with deepest darkness.If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to some strange deity,wouldn’t God have discovered it? After all, God knows every secret of the heart.No, God, it’s because of you that we are getting killed every day— it’s because of you that we are considered sheep ready for slaughter.Wake up! Why are you sleeping, Lord? Get up! Don’t reject us forever!Why are you hiding your face, forgetting our suffering and oppression?Look: we’re going down to the dust; our stomachs are flat on the ground!Stand up! Help us! Save us for the sake of your faithful love.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:We glory in God at all times, and give thanks to his name forever.

Psalm prayer

Old Testament readingIsaiah 51:4-11

Pay attention to me, my people; listen to me, my nation, for teaching will go out from me, my justice, as a light to the nations. I will quickly bring my victory.My salvation is on its way, and my arm will judge the peoples. The coastlands hope for me; they wait for my judgment.Look up to the heavens, and gaze at the earth beneath. The heavens will disappear like smoke, the earth will wear out like clothing, and its inhabitants will die like gnats.But my salvation will endure forever, and my righteousness will be unbroken.Listen to me, you who know what is right, people who carry my teaching in your heart: Don’t fear human scorn, and don’t be upset when they abuse you.The moth will eat them as if they were clothing, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness is forever, and my salvation for all generations.Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of the Lord.Awake as in times past, generations long ago.Aren’t you the one who crushed Rahab, who pierced the dragon?Didn’t you dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep? And didn’t you make the redeemed a road to cross through the depths of the sea, a road for the redeemed to pass?Then let those ransomed by the Lord return and come to Zion with singing and with everlasting joy upon their heads.Let happiness and joy overwhelm them; let grief and groaning flee.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingRomans 13:11-14

As you do all this, you know what time it is. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep. Now our salvation is nearer than when we first had faith. The night is almost over, and the day is near. So let’s get rid of the actions that belong to the darkness and put on the weapons of light. Let’s behave appropriately as people who live in the day, not in partying and getting drunk, not in sleeping around and obscene behavior, not in fighting and obsession. Instead, dress yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t plan to indulge your selfish desires.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain: Jerusalem, look to the east and see the joy that is coming to you from God.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Jerusalem, look to the east and see the joy that is coming to you from God.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers are offeredfor the day and its tasksfor the world and its needsfor the Church and her life

Response

Father, hear our prayer,through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,give us grace to cast away the works of darknessand to put on the armor of light,now in the time of this mortal life,in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;that on the last day,when he shall come again in his glorious majestyto judge the living and the dead,we may rise to the life immortal;through him who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Awaiting his coming in glory,as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.